Cesar Chavez

My hero is Cesar Chavez. He stood up for Mexican farmers who were overworked, and for those who were afraid to lose their jobs if they complained. I look up to him and I'm very proud, because I know that there was, and will be, someone who will defend the Mexican people. He influenced many communities. Many people know who Cesar Chavez was, and still look up to him and think of him as their hero. I have always thought that everyone should be treated equally, but even though this is part of our civil rights, there are people who believe they are superior to others. When I first learned about Cesar Chavez and what he did, I felt that there was someone who thought like me, and my beliefs grew even stronger.

If I could talk to Cesar Chavez, I would tell him I'm very proud of what he accomplished, and if I had to stand up for people's rights, or just stand up for something I believed in, I would not stop until I reached my goal. I would like to be a hero who is known for my courage and my beliefs that everyone should be treated fairly.

Cesar E. Chavez was born on March 31, 1927, in Yuma, Arizona. He was the second child and the oldest son. His parents were Librado Chavez and Juana Estrada. When Cesar was ten years old, the Chavez family lost their farm and all their belongings. Later on, the Chavez family joined some migrant workers who followed the crops in California. The workers had no steady homes, and going to school wasn't easy for the children, since they were always moving from place to place. In 1948, he married a young woman named Helen Fabela. They both taught Mexican farmers to read and write so they could take the test to become American citizens. At the age of thirty-five, Chavez left his job to spend more time organizing farm workers into a union. In 1965, a major confrontation with the grape growers occurred. The grape growers did not listen to the union's demands. The workers left the fields and went on strike. By 1978, some of the workers' conditions were met, which means that Chavez had met his goals. Unfortunately, Chavez died on April 23, 1993.